Stockholm
February 24th, 2003
Dear [name omitted],
Thank you for your letter regarding the case of Charles Li. The United States government shares your concern about the arrest of Charles Li in China. In October 2001, the Department of State designated China a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act for extremely severe violations of religious freedom, including its treatment of Falun Gong. [Falun Gong is not a religion. For more information on the nature of Falun Gong, please click here].
The Department of State, U.S. officials in Beijing, and the Consulates General in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang consistently urge the central and local authorities to respect the citizens’ rights to religious freedom. U,S, officials in Washington and Beijing have continued to protest individual cases of abuse. On many occasions, the Department of State protested government actions to curb freedom of religion, including the arrests of Falun Gong followers.
In the continuing effort to encourage religious freedom throughout China, the U.S. Embassy welcomes information about abuses of religious freedoms, such as the case of Charles Li. I will forward this information to the relevant officials in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour in the Department of State in Washington D.C.
Sincerely,
Charles A. Heimbold, Jr.
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